Heating system.



A. G. PAUL.

HEATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED no. 23, 1895.

91 6,364. Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

\NVENTOR.

ATTOR EYJ A. G. PAUL;

HEATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.23, 1895.

916,364, Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR @WMM ATTOR EY5 {ANDREW 0.. PAUL, F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

" EATING SYSTEM.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

Application filed. December 23, 1896. Serial No. 572,984.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat 1, AN REW G. PAUL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Heating Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heating systems in which steam or other similar heating vehicle is caused to flow to the radiators or heaters through a suitable system of pipes,

and to glveoff a portion of its heat in the radiators or heaters, and it is especially applicable to systems in which the whole or a part-of'the heating vehicle is condensedin the radiator or heater.

. The object of my invention is to improve the movement of the heating vehicle in the system, and to remove the heating vehicle therefrom after it has given up its heat, as well as the ainand other gases thatmay collect therein, and to do this in an eflicient, reliable and economical manner.

r My invention consists first in the com- "bination with a radiator or heater and With the other necessary partsof the heating. system, of a return or discharge pipe provided with means for automatically and intermittently causing a discharge of the heating vehicle'threugh the discharge pipe,

, the said means being adapted to be operated by or in accordance with the conditions ex-' isting on the outlet side ofsaid means, and

an exhausting pipe with which thedischarge plpe is connecte r My invention also consists in the combination wlth aradlator or heater and the other necessary parts of a ,heating' s stem, of. a

return or discharge pipe provi ed with an automatic expansion trap or valve having its expanding member on the outlet side of the trap ',or valve and an exhaustin r device conhected with the discharge pipe whereby duced to ,or below a certain temperature, w1ll cause the trap or valve to ,open and J to the heatihgvehicle,

when it has given up a certain portion of its heat, and has been redisc harge some of the heating vehicle. YVhen steam or a similar heatin vehicle is employed, it willbe discharged 111" the form 0 (water ,of condensation, but my invention is also applicable to heating systems in which other forms of, heating vehicle are employe for example to hot water heating systems. As the expanding member of the valve-is placedjon the outlet side of the tions of valve and the discharge pipe is connected with an exhausting device, the trap or valve will open and close automatically and intermittently. It will be operated by the heat given off by the heating vehicle in the discharge pipe beyond the valve, that is to say, by the temperature of the heating vehicle that is passing through the valve.

My invention also consists in certain novel features of construction and combinaparts hereinafter described and claimed. p

The accompanying figures fully illustrate my improvement.

Figure 1 shows a single radiator constructed and arranged according to my :1nvention; Fig. 2 shows a system containing two radiators; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of. my preferredform of trap.

Similar letters indicate similar parts 111 the difl erent figures.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings a is the supply pipe whichcan be connected with any suitable source of supply, and is provided with a suitable valve a. b is an ordinary radiator or heater. 0 is the return or discharge pipe,

(Z is an automatic steamt-rap consisting of a 1 valve device. The form of this trap can be greatly varied. The form I prefer is 85. shown in section in Fig. 3; it is what is commonly known as an expans on trap. As the particular construction of this trap is well understood, and separately considered forms no part of my invention, I shall not described it in detail, further than to say that when the vessel 0 is exposed to a certain degree of heat it will expand and close the valve, and when it is cooled agaln 1t will contract and open the valve. This vessel is ordinarily filled with somevolatile liquid such as ether which, when heated, expa1 1ds into aseous form and extends the inclosmg' vesse. While, as already stated, the form of the trap can be greatly varied, it is essential, when an expansion trap is employed, that the expanding member, whatever may be its form, should be arranged in the manner clearly shown in the drawings, to .wit, on the outlet side of the discharge valve. It the expanding member were placed onthe inlet side of the valve and were rthus exposed directly to'the heat of the heating vehicle in 'theradiator, this heat Lwould prevent the discharge valve from opening and closing intermittently. The

position or location in which the expanding '60 'to which thep're'ssure is decreased. in saidpipe. The expanding member is thus cooled and the discharge valve d is opened. 'As' member put can be greatly varied so long.

to intermittently open and close the valve,

but in the best form of my invention the expanding member is' placed in the discharge plpe on the outlet side of the dis charge valve, as shown in Fig. 3. f is an exhausting device of anysuitable construc- I tionconnected with the-discharge pipe. 9

is an air pipe which is additional to the supply and return pipes and which is connectedwith the radiator at any suitable point, preferably at the upper part thereof. 5. is an exhauster of any suitable form connected with the air pipe. I prefer to employ a .jet of steam or water. i is an automatic air valve of well known construction which opens to permit the passage of air and gases, and closes to prevent the passage of the heating vehicle, this operation being 'due to the effect of heat and cold upon the said valve. is is an ordinary check valve placed upon the air pipe betweenthe exhauster and the system, that is to say, on the-system side of the exhauster.- Z is" an ordinary check valve placed on the discharge pipe leading from the exhauster, that is to say, on the other side of the exhauster from the check valve is.

Assuming that steam is used as the'heating .vehicle, theoperation of the device shown in Fig. 1 isas follows. The exhausters f and h are started'and the valve in the supply pipe is opened. The air is caused to flow out quickly from the system through both the discharge pipe 0 and the,

air ipe g, and thesteam orother similar heatingvehicle flowsin and fills the radia-tor. When the {steam reaches the steam trap (l the valve in the trap is closed by the I heat imparted from the steam, and. the

escape or iwastesof any substantial quantity of steam at that point is prevented. When the steam reaches the-automatic valve 2' in fso closed, as already explained, the exhausterf continues to-draw out from the discharge.

pipe, Between the valve d and the exhauster,

-35 duced, and the temperature of the contents the air and other contents of that pipe. The

pressure in the discharge pipe is thereby i'eof that-pipe, including theportion of the discharge, pipe surrounding the expanding member e, 1s consequently lowered, this fall in temperature depending upon the extent the steam is condensed, in the radiator the water of cpndensation comes in contact eiasee with the steam trap. When the discharge valve opens in the manner just explained,

a small quantity of, the water will pass through the port of the valve and come.

.ciently to cause the valve in the trap to remain open, some of the water will be dis-" charged, and this discharge will continue until the trap is again closed' by contact with steam or with hotter portions of the water of condensation. The trap can be regulated so as not toidischarge any sub stantial quantity of water until the water in the radiator has beensubstantially cooled or until it has fallen below a certain p'redetermined temperature. In this way the trap can be regulated so that practically only cool water will pass into the return or discharge pipe. The discharge pipe or valve is thus automatically and. intermittently opened and closed. This is effected by the changes in the condition of the heating vehicle; In the form of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the discharge valve is'Lcontrolled by the conditions existing. in

said valve, to wit, by the temperature of the discharge pipe on the outlet side of a the heatingvehicle that has passed through i through the valve, and the accumulation of I a large quantity of condensation in the radiator will be prevented. When any air collectsin the. radiator the automatic valve 71 is cooled and thereby opened and the air escapes through the air-pipe 9. When the steam again comes into contact with the valve it is closed as before. The exliauster f operatesforcibly to cause a flow through the discharge pipe'whenever the steam trap 03 isopene/d, and the exliauster It operates forcibly to cause a flow through the air pipe 9 whenever the automatic valve i is opened. The radiator'is kept-substantially free from air and sufliciently free from water, that is to say, only a certain amount of water, is permitted to collect therein.

. As 'a result of employing arr-expansion trap a. special advantage is secured. .The wafer is retained in the radiator until it has given up a much larger number of "its heat units in effective work. This avoids the waste of heat which results where the water of condensation is allowed to run away in a hot state. Moreover, the lowerthe temperature of the water the easier it is to handle it.

When an expansion trap is employed my improvement is also especially applicable to systems in which hot water or a similar heating vehicle is used. As the water in the temperature and the trap opens in the mannerexplained the water is discharged, the discharge continuing until the hotter portions of the water come in contact with the trap when the trap is again closed. In this .Way the circulation of the water is secured according 'to the condition of the water in the radiator. When it has given up such part of its heat as to be no longer serviceable for further heating, it is discharged from the radiator and a fresh quantity of the heatingvehicle introduced.

It is manifest that that form of my invention which employs an expansion trap, includes in its broadest form any arrangement of the expanding member of the trap in which the temperature of the heating vehicle expands or contracts the expanding member of the trap, either directly or indirectly, that is to say, by actual contact of the heating vehicle with the expanding member or by contact of the heating vehicle with any intervening heat conveying medium which is in contact with the expanding member, whereby the discharge pipe or valve is opened and closed intermittently.

In Fig. 2 a heating system is shown comprising two radiators. Any number of radiators may be combined in the system. The supply pipe a is provided with suitable branches, one connected with each radiator,

and these branches may be provided with suitable valves. The discharge pipe 0 also hasbranches connecting it with. the several radiators. Each of these branches is provided with an automatic steam trap d. An

' exhausting device fis connected with the common discharge pipe. The air .pipe 9 is in like manner provided with branches connecting with the several radiators. Each branch has an automatic air valve 1. 'h is an exhauster connected with the main or common part of the air pipe. is and Z are check valves similar to those'shown in Fig. 1. The operation of my invention when thus applied, to several radiators is substantially the same as already set forth except that the exhausting device connected with the discharge pipe operates to discharge the water of condensation or the'heating vehicle when cooled, from a number of radlators or heaters, and except thatthe exhausting device connected with the air pipe operates to remove the air and gases from a number of radiators or heaters. 1 Y

When in this specification I refer to automatic means for opening and closing the discharge pipe or valve, I do not include under that term an expansion valve or trap in which the expanding member is placed in the inlet side of the valve, as an expanding member so arranged will not operate to open and close the valve intermittently, as experience has fully demonstrated.

hen my entire invention is employed great economy/and efliciency of operation are secured. complete movement and distribution of the heating vehicle in the radiators or heaters, namely, air and gases and water of condensation or water of a, low temperature, are entirely and quickly removed, and the heating vehicle is caused to How into the radia- The obstacles to a free and tors or heaters as a result of its own 'con-.

densation, or as a result of its reduction in temperature changing its condition from that of a serviceable heating agent to that of a useless obstruction. The heating vehicle is not sucked through the radiators and discharge pipe and thereby wasted, as

insome former systems, but is substantially that pipe, except at the beginning of the operation when an is also removed through this channel. When hot Water is used, no substantial quantity of hot water is SlCkGd into the discharge pipe, substantially nothing but the cool water which has given up .its'available and useful heat escapes therethrough, except such air as is removed at the beginning.

Another advantage of my improvement is that the short-circuiting of the heating vehicle through the nearest radiators is prevented. The trap in the discharge pipe prevents the heating vehicle from flowing into that pipe as already explained, and thereby prevents a current from being establlshed through the nearest radiators which mlght cause all or substantially all of the heating vehicle to flow through those radiators and their discharge pipes and thus keep the properflsupply from passing to the other radiators. I

When my complete invention is employed so that the action of the automatic means n opening and closing the discharge valve is control ed by the conditions existlng 1n the dischargepipe beyond said valve, the operation of the device can be very nicely regulated and adjusted by regulating or controlling the conditions in the discharge pipe by means of th'e exhausting device.

By the use of my invention the air, gases claimed herein, of separate means, such as a separate air pipe for discharging air from the system as I-have-reserved such claims for a separate application.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is a,

1. In a heating system, the combination of a radiator, a supply pipe, a dischargepipe for the discharge of the heating vehicle, means for automatically and intermittently causing a discharge of the heating vehicle through the discharge pipe, and adapted to be operated by changes 1n temperature on the outlet side of said means, and an exhausting device with which the discharge pipe is connected, substantially as set forth.

2. In a heating system, the combination of a radiator, a supply pipe, 'a discharge pipe for the discharge of the heating vehicle, means for automatically and intermittently causing a discharge of the heating vehicle through the discharge pipe, according to the changes 1n temperature in the discharge pipe beyond said means, and an exhausting class's device with which the discharge pipe is connected, substantially as set forth. v

3. dIn a heating system, the combination of ara' iator a supply pipe a discharge pipe for the discharge of the heating vehicle, a

discharge valve, and automatic means for intermittently operating said valve according to the changes in temperature in the discharge pipe beyond said valve, and an exhausting device with which the discharge,

pipe isconnected, substantially as set forth. 4. The combination in a heating system of the supply pipe a, theradiator b, a discharge pipe 0, automatic trap (Z, having its expanding member on the opposite side of the valve and valve seat from the radiator, and thelexhausting device f, substantially as set forth.

In a heating system, the combination of, a radiator, a supply pipe,j a discharge pipe for the discharge of the heating vehicle, a valve in said discharge pipe, an expanding member located in the discharge pipe on the outlet side of the discharge valve for intermittently and at short intervals opening said valve and for regulating the amount of discharge according to the temperature of the heating vehicle passing through the valve, and an exhausting device connected with the discharge pipe on the discharge side beyond said expanding member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

1 ANDREW G. RAUL.

W'itnesses: E. A. JAMES, HERBERT A. RHoADns. 

